Hickam’s call to the quest was to design a rocket after he saw the Sputnik soar across the sky. The call is when a hero becomes aware of a new, exciting, a forbidden, and/or a foreign world. Hickam’s call began when the Sputnik was sent into space. His call was manifested by his yearning to accomplish what the Soviets had with the Sputnik, “I guess it’s fair to say there were two distinct phases in my life in West Virginia: everything that happened before October 5, 1957 and everything that happened afterward” (Hickam 18). This showed the importance of the Sputnik’s launch date in his life, it planted a seed of interest in his subconscious that would grow throughout his life. As a result of Hickam’s call, he would gain a great drive for rocketry that would dramatically change his life. Another stage of heroism in Hickam’s life was his allies. The allies aided him in many tasks that he could not have accomplished on his own. Allies are a group of people joined to accomplish a common task. Quentin, Odell, and Miss Riley are some of Hickam’s allies to help him accomplish his call. Quentin was an important ally because of his knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration. Quentin helped Hickam through several situations, including encouraging him to keep practicing his presentation for the national science fair. Odell was an important ally to Hickam because of his resourcefulness. For example, Odell had the idea of stripping the old pipe for money to fund their rocketry.
